Citing 'distraction,' Quality Forum CEO resigns board seats

The top executive of the country's premier health care quality organization is resigning from the boards of two health care companies amid questions about the ethics of the relationships As ProPublica reported, Dr. Christine Cassel has earned six-figure compensation from the companies, which have an interest in National Quality Forum endorsements that influence practices adopted by medical providers across the country. The Quality Forum said in a statement today that Cassel's decision to sever ties was voluntary. Cassel was hired in late 2012 to lead the nonprofit Quality Forum, which gets the bulk of its money from a contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).